Holtby To Hershey? (Updated)

Hershey fans may soon get to see one of the Caps' top prospects.

With goalie Michal Nuevirth out with a lower body injury, General Manager George McPhee said this morning that the team is considering bringing 19-year-old Braden Holtby to the Bears. Holtby, whose Saskatoon Blades were just eliminated from the playoffs, was the Caps' fourth round draft pick last year and has steadily moved up the organization's depth chart.

Holtby won 40 games for the Blades this season and is already under contract with the Caps.

Update: The latest from Hershey is that Neuvirth is sick, not injured. I'll see if this will affect the team's plans to bring up Holtby.

oo7: Good points regarding Calgary, just wanted to know why you picked them. Kip is a great goaltender and if he gets hot in the playoffs, he can steal games left and right. It would be nice to see Theo finally shed the stigma he has for the playoffs.

@1hockeymom: Just saw parts of it AGAIN this weekend and didn't want to get into a discussion with SC1907. Hope it made your workday better.

There is a really great thjing happening around the hockey world.Nobody wants to play the Pens, nobody wants to play the Canes, Flyers are well respected and "dangerous",Bruins have been tough all year........we are a underdog in the hockey world, our guys play that roll the best.

@Capsfannmiss: Suits me down to the skin. The boys are at their best when they come out of nowhere and shock the world. Hope they can learn to play in the spotlight, because they're going to be there for a while.

@fanohock1: I replied - would dearly love to see the Kitties oust the Habs from the playoffs for that reason alone.

Re: Holtby: If they do that, I might just have to manage a trip to Hershey somehow. I'd like to get a look at the kid.

I don't mean to rude, but who cares about Finley. If he was good, GMGM would have signed him by now. He just sounds like a big oaf whose size is the only thing going for him. We have enough decent prospects in the dman pipeline. Don't just sign someone because is a first round pick.

From reports I've heard, he's a headcase and he sucks at hockey. GMGM probably knows the same thing which is why he hasn't signed him. Caps don't have time to wait around to develop this oaf.

Ckorps, I have heard he is a bit of a "project" but unlike the rest of our big defensemen, this guy can and will hit. From all reports I've read, he is VERY good at keeping his crease clear. Since that is something the Caps desperately need, I'd like to see him signed instead of get away ala Boynton.

"Hershey will be without winger Chris Bourque Friday at Bridgeport. His grandfather, Ray Bourque Sr., 79, died this week after a three-month battle with lung cancer. There's a chance Chris Bourque could return to the team for Saturday's game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton."

From the same Tim Leone blog entry that talked about Neuvirth and Holtby

count me among the ones who has reservations on Joe Finley, I'm pulling for this kid to make it but he's definitely not a great prospect by any means. His skating, his decision making, even his hitting isn't what you would expect from a big guy who has an alleged mean streak and some good weight to him. I do hope he gets to Hershey soon and gets some play time but from the games I've watched him play he looks like Erskine at best. In which case that was quite a bust of a 1st round with Pokulok and Finley

Della Rovere played with SC last night and apparently acquitted himself very well.

And the more I see the Schultz "fight" the more embarassing it looks. Between Semin and Schultz I hope both of them at least learn how to FAKE fight. Schultz buried his head in Jackman's jersey (not an easy task for a guy that tall) and basically held on for dear life while the refs came in to save him.

Which accomplishment is hardest to achieve in a season?
10 shutouts by a goalie:
25.22 %
30 goals by a defenseman:
36.40 %
40 wins by a goalie:
14.70 %
50 goals by a forward:
15.66 %
50 assists by a defenseman:
8.01 %

I was several feet away. I was LOL at the poor kid. He went in and smacked a hornets nest and when the hornets came out to play, he hugged up Jackman and literally closed his eyes while pressing his cheek up to Jackmans. To Jackmans credit, he only bopped Schultz a few times and definetly not at full strength. He had an open invitation to nail the crap out of him and only bopped him medium-to-light a few times on the knoggin.

The 'punch' that everybody says Schultz made, was pretty much before Jackman knew which guy he had.

I was able to catch Finley this season as well because a lot of North Dakota games hit my TV. He's OK, but not sure if even compares with what we already have in the system. North Dakota didn't even put Finley on the ice in the last minute of the game (after a TO) against New Hampshire when a trip to the Frozen Four was on the line. New Hampshire scored the tying goal, and then Finley was on the ice for New Hampshire's game winning goal in the first minute of overtime. Finley wasn't anywhere near the crease, which is where the UNH player was when he scored the decisive goal. A link to a picture of Finley watching the season go down the toilet is at the bottom of this post.

Just don't know how valuable this kid will be to the Caps if his College coach didn't want to use him in a critical situation at the end of regulation.

I mean, he sometimes just seems to absolutely lose focus for a few seconds and appears to be unconcerned that he just screwed up. Maybe I'm just too close to the action and I read too much into the looks in players eyes, but it troubles me and I will be suprised if he wins it. If he does not, it will be this momentary and occasional lapse that might have been the deciding factor.

Like I said earlier, the Norris for the past few years has gone to the offensive d man.

My case for Green:

do you guys remember when i first started posting on this blog? I was pretty hard on Green's defensive plays. He has picked it up considerably, though he does have a few "what?" moments still. And usually he is playing his best defense when he is not scoring goals. His offensive achievements this year is just to unstoppable to compare with. He can clear the puck, take the body, and play the boards. He just coughs it up sometimes.

It seems he goes through streaks of racking up goals and playing mediocre defense, and then generating no offense and playing solid defense. I also don't think any other defense man can pinch in and get back on D has quick as Green. He is just a phenomenal skater. He can also carry the puck through the blue line, something some of our guys have considerable problems with.

his high giveaway stat is just from the fact that he has the puck all the time. An unfortunate side effect of having 30 goals.

I can definetely see the strong cases put up for Chara and Lidstrom. and even Kieth up in CHI. But it is my humble opinion that Green should get it this year, hands down.

Maybe I'm just too close to the action and I read too much into the looks in players eyes, but it troubles me and I will be suprised if he wins it. If he does not, it will be this momentary and occasional lapse that might have been the deciding factor.

Posted by: WhyGo | April 2, 2009 1:35 PM

It's probably a good thing. I watch all the games from a crappy 28 inch TV and you are watching from behind the glass.

Howe about a stat of giveaways per minute played? Green would look somewhat better with that. He is way better than last year and will be way better next year. By age 26, he WILL be the best defender, maybe ever.

And the more I see the Schultz "fight" the more embarassing it looks. Between Semin and Schultz I hope both of them at least learn how to FAKE fight. Schultz buried his head in Jackman's jersey (not an easy task for a guy that tall) and basically held on for dear life while the refs came in to save him.

He was trying to keep his head from being a perfect target for a guy who's only in professional hockey because he can fight. Schultz isn't a fighter and his willingness to get in the scrum and throw the first punch (albeit a gloved one) means a lot more than the fact that Jackman got the better of him.